Background
History of Landmines
Impact of Landmines
Impact of Landmines - part 2
   •Economic Impact
   •Environmental Impact
   •Peace and Reconciliation

Economic Impact
Most mine-affected countries are agrarian societies whose economies are predominantly defined by the quality and quantity of their agricultural production. The peoples of these largely developing countries rely on the land for their food and livelihood. However, the presence of mines in agricultural fields renders large tracts of fertile soil unusable. Farmers and peasants are unable to safely cultivate their land and livestock feeding off the land are frequently killed by mines, constituting grave economic losses for their owners. These cattle, goats, and other farm animals are often villagers' only possessions. Mine contamination causes local and national economies to suffer and entire populations to become dependent on external food aid and other forms of international assistance. Mines destroy national infrastructures and impede economic development and reconstruction efforts. Transportation networks, power lines, and water resources are damaged and inaccessible. The production and distribution of fundamental goods and services is disrupted. Tourism markets, an important source of income in many countries, suffer greatly. In addition, mine clearance programs divert financial resources from critical development and reconstruction projects.

The direct and indirect costs of landmine accidents also have a profound economic toll on most mine-affected countries. Medical care is expensive and often unavailable. The costs of surgery, prostheses, and psychosocial rehabilitation deplete a country's already scarce resources, and families often cannot afford to pay for necessary treatment. And because many landmine victims are unable to return to work after their accidents, they frequently become a financial burden on their families and communities.

One of the long-term consequences of landmines is that mine-affected countries become heavily dependent on the international community for humanitarian and development assistance. However, funding for international aid projects is not always adequate or evenly distributed among needy countries. Furthermore, where funds or aid are available, relief organizations are frequently unable to reach their intended destinations because infrastructures, including roads and bridges, have been mined. The inability to provide adequate food, shelter, medical supplies, and government services perpetuates the cycle of despair endured daily by millions of people worldwide.

Environmental Impact
In addition to the impact on their victims, landmines also have severe environmental consequences. Mined areas can restrict access to large areas of agricultural land, forcing populations to use small tracts of land to earn their livelihoods. The limited productive land that is available is over-cultivated, which contributes to long-term underproduction, as minerals are depleted from the soil, and the loss of valuable vegetation. Furthermore, landmines introduce poisonous substances into the environment as their casings erode. Explosives commonly used in landmines, such as trinitrotoluene (TNT), seep into the soil. The decomposition of these substances can cause many environmental problems because they are often water soluble, carcinogenic, toxic, and long-lasting.

Landmines also harm the environment when they explode, scattering debris, destroying surrounding vegetation, and disrupting soil composition. This substantially decreases the productivity of agricultural land and increases an area's vulnerability to water and wind erosion, which in turn can add sediment into drainage systems, adversely affecting water habitats. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) detonations have similar results. One study has shown that the detonation of UXO in the Vietnamese province of Quang Tri has drastically reduced soil productivity. According to estimates, rice production per hectare has decreased 50 percent in this area.

The slow degradation of landmines and their devastating impact on surrounding land can render resources unusable for many generations. The environmental impact of landmines is particularly pronounced when viewed in conjunction with socioeconomic factors and other consequences of landmine contamination.

Peace and Reconciliation
Landmines pose a continuous threat to peace and reconciliation. They prevent post-conflict reconstruction of war-torn economies and can too easily threaten fragile peace plans. Damaged infrastructures, including roads, bridges, and water supplies, impede efforts to deliver relief supplies to remote areas. This can perpetuate the cycle of poverty inherent in so many mine-affected countries, leading to further tension and conflict. Furthermore, these countries often become dependent on external food aid and other forms of international assistance. This dependency can undermine national pride and be exploited by extremist groups intent on overthrowing national and local governments.

Landmines frequently prevent government access to politically important regions, impeding efforts to deliver goods and services, and hampering efforts to secure political support among local populations. A government's failure in these two areas often leads mine-affected communities to seek protection and assistance from armed groups, further undermining the national government's attempts to restore peace to the region. Opposition groups capitalize on this local support to enable them to mobilize their forces and launch military attacks against government troops. The presence of landmines perpetuates the militarization of post-conflict societies and undermines the confidence and security needed for successful peace and reconciliation.

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